Latin America

• Thursday, July 9th 2009 - 12:34 UTC

  IMF forecasts 2.6% contraction for Latam economy

  

  The Latinamerican economy is forecasted to contract 2.6% this year according to the latest estimates from the International Monetary Fund, with Mexico showing the worst performance plummeting 7.3% in 2009.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2009 - 07:17 UTC

  Costa Rican president to lead mediation in Honduras political crisis

  

  Costa Rican President Oscar Arias is to lead mediation to resolve the political crisis in Honduras. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the announcement in Washington after meeting ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2009 - 11:22 UTC

  Mrs. Clinton bridges dialogue between Honduras “ousted and interim” leaders

  

  Ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya was scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday, as the country's political crisis talks moved to Washington.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2009 - 10:29 UTC

  Bolivia considering closing border with Argentina because of the flu

  

  Bolivia is considering temporarily closing part of its extended border with Argentina, (773 kilometres long), because of the outbreak and quick spread of the A/H1N1 virus flu in that country, anticipated Health minister Ramiro Tapia over the weekend.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2009 - 07:08 UTC

  Magellanic Penguins in southern Chile threatened species

  

  The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN) last week identified a “Red List” of nearly 17,000 plant and animal species in danger of disappearance, and 800 species already extinct.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 13:00 UTC

  Mexican ruling party battered in mid term election

  

  The conservative National Action Party (PAN) of Mexican President Felipe Calderon has admitted defeat in mid-term congressional elections. It acknowledged that the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) will dominate the Lower House.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 12:48 UTC

  Zelaya’s return to Honduras aborted; two people shot dead at airport

  

  Honduras's ousted President, Manuel Zelaya failed on Sunday in a dramatic attempt to fly back to his country. His plane circled the Tegucigalpa airport, but it could not land as the authorities had blocked the runway.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 10:00 UTC

  Brazil/Bolivia/Chile inter-oceanic corridor ready for 2011

  

  Bolivia, Brazil and Chile have announced that the inter-oceanic corridor, from the Atlantic to the Pacific will be finished by 2011. The announcement was made following an assessment of the different legs of the corridor during a meeting in La Paz, Bolivia between the Public Works ministers of the three countries.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 09:56 UTC

  GM, a respected, innovative, fuel efficient brand in Latinamerica

  

  In spite of its misfortune or long standing mismanagement in the US, General Motors Corp. has built a thriving powerhouse operation in Latin America, where its fuel-efficient vehicles are playing a crucial role in returning the battered company to health.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 09:22 UTC

  Venezuela takes over Banco Santander and pays first instalment

  

  Venezuela has taken formal control of its third largest bank, the previously Spanish-owned Banco de Venezuela. The first instalment of a 630 million US dollars price tag was made amid much ceremony in the capital Caracas, with nearly all the shares passing to the government.